Luxury selection - Edition 8

6 min read

Our latest round up of all things luxury, from Champagne cocktails to our favourite destinations in print.

Stories for... Lovers of luxury

The Champagne

Raise a toast

The Champagne

Raise a toast

The pop of a cork always brings that familiar feel of joy. The chance to celebrate a birthday, perhaps, or a wedding. Or maybe just standing under the shimmering chandelier in the Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar in Harrods is celebration enough.

It might take time to select your favourite tipple from Moët & Chandon’s largest standalone bar in Europe, but you’ll never be disappointed with your chosen sip. The Sgroppino Royale cocktail with rhubarb, champagne and apple sorbet is a good place to start before you savour some delectable food pairings, such as burrata toasts with kimchee and black sesame.

Photo credit: ©Sybarite photography by Rupert Peace

Harrods

The art

As nature intended

The art

As nature intended

Amongst its old Lucombe oaks and grand cedars, Kew Gardens is showcasing The Art of Food, an exhibition dedicated to still life and plant portraiture. The works of art hail from the Shirley Sherwood Collection, the largest body of contemporary botanical art in the world. Shirley, a British botanist, has personally collected over 1,000 paintings by more than 300 contemporary botanical artists from 36 countries. Among the ones exhibiting at Kew include Phansakdi Chakkaphak, Brigid Edwards and Alvaro E. X. Nunes who have brought to life the exquisite beauty of the food we eat. A ticket also includes access to the gardens, where you can see nature’s rich bounty with your own eyes.

Kew

The interiors

Plate it up

A fancy dining set including an empty glass a plate and cutlery

The interiors

Plate it up

Dispel thoughts of cloudy skies, rain and cold nights this winter. Maison Margaux can help you inject rainbows of colour into your home through brilliantly bright tablescapes. With every plate, saucer and napkin, you can feel the jauntiness of summer radiating through your home. Feel the rays of the Sicilian sun with plates painted in lemons, the nautical cheer of striped blue and white tablecloths or the floral haze of spring with pink side plates. They’re a beauty to behold and to share.

Maison Margaux

The bag

Superstore stardom

Making the everyday extraordinary is what Anya Hindmarch does best. The new collection of her Cornflakes woven totes, Heinz Beans cross-body bags and Diet Coke charms may look like household names, but the intricate stitching oozes couture finesse. Put a swing in your step and add them to the top of your shopping list.

Anya Hindmarch

The book

Travel tomes

There are travel books and then there are Assouline’s travel books. The doyen of luxury literature, style and elegance, Assouline has become synonymous with high culture and good taste. So if there’s ever a time you need to find the perfect present or read up properly about a new destination, you know who to turn to.

Step into Sardinia’s exclusive glamour in Costa: Smeralda, party with celebrities and hear untold stories in St Barths: Freedom or live la dolce vita in Villeggiatura: Italian Summer Vacation, journeying with Belmond on a train you’ll never want to get off.

Assouline

The insider

Fantasy dinners

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? Because we can send out the invitations. Our concierge team highlight the dream dinners they can make a reality.

Life on Broadway

What does it take to be Roxy in Chicago or Simba in The Lion King? Ask the cast of your favourite Broadway shows at a private meet, greet and dinner in the heart of bustling New York. From show tunes to theatrical staging, delve into the excitement and thrill of life on stage.

A tribute to Nelson Mandela

Christo Brand used to be a prison guard, responsible for guarding the inspirational Nelson Mandela. In an unlikely turn, he embarked on a lifelong friendship with this prisoner-turned-president. Listen on as Brand and his wife Estelle regale their heart-breaking and heart-warming personal stories over lunch at their home in South Africa.

Behind the scenes in Bangkok

Bill Bensley is the architect and mastermind behind the design of more than 200 hotels in over 40 countries – not only that, he also hosts a fabulous dinner. Alongside his partner Jirachai Rengthong, he delivers characterful insights into sustainability and design, while you can tuck into Thai delicacies in their extraordinary Bangkok oasis, Baan Botanica.